After 3 years of fun with my big beefy countryman, I have decided to go back to the smaller mini, although things have moved on greatly and this is a really great little car.

It has a built in sat nav to help you learn how to drive with one without ending up in a farmers field and a number of engine modes including economy for lots of happy green driving. This car handles really well, responsive and very easy to drive and is very forgiving at slow speeds with good all round visibility. And for the environmentally conscious, it has one of the most fuel efficient and low CO2 emissions engine on the market.

Like the rest of the MINI line-up, the Cooper D gets an all new engine, with the MkII's 1.6-litre four cylinder making way for a 1.5 three cylinder. Despite having a smaller capacity and one less cylinder than before, power output rises from 110 to 114bhp, while torque remains unchanged at 270Nm"

Above all that, it's a cool, fun car to learn to drive in and will give you the best possible chance of learning to drive safely and when you are ready, passing that dreaded test!